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Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Breaking down the list: Forwards

Done! We've got a player profile for each and every one of the 22 Albicelestes that are starting the quest to win the Copa America on Thursday.

The following is one hell of an elite group of forwards that even have the luxury of leaving out a top player like Javier SAVIOLA.

There is speed, talent, bravery, power, desire, heart and a thousand other virtues in these fine five forwards that will provide the bulk of the goals in our Copa America campaign.

Let's see them in a little bit more detail:

Name : Carlos Alberto TEVEZClub : West Ham UnitedCaps : 27 (6)He is the People’s Player. Overcame EVERYTHING since he was born. A humble origin. A tough childhood. But he seems to handle the pressures that come with fame, success and fortune in a good way. Carlitos is clever. That’s one of the keys. Like MASCHERANO, he too had to endure troubled times in England but finished off the season in the classiest style ever. His goals (including the game-winning at Old Trafford in the last game of the season) were the inspiration the Hammers needed to avoid relegation and the fans have voted him as player of the season. With his deadly finishing and trickery in the penalty box, he is an indispensable quality in COCO’s team.

Name : Lionel Andrés MESSI Club : FC BarcelonaCaps : 20 (7)What else do we need to say about him? At the age of 19, the Atomic Flea has done more than most average kid of his age could only dreamed off. Touted as “His Successor” by a certain Diego MARADONA, MESSI is most likely to be COCO’s preferred choice for the playmaker role. The question still remains whether as he matured enough to bare this responsibility.

Name : Diego Alberto MILITO Club : Real ZaragozaCaps : 10 (5)The MILITOS are a unique family indeed. One is a hard wall to crack; the other cracks the hardest wall. Possess power with a keen eye for goal and is regarded as one of the finest header of the game. His 20 plus goal in La Liga and the fact that he became a fan favourite in every team he played for (Racing Club, Genoa and Zaragoza) will be a testimony to that. However in Venezuela, he is most likely to used as a back up for CRESPO.

Name : Hernán Jorge CRESPOClub : InternazionaleCaps : 60 (32)CRESPO is one of the most effective poachers within the six-yard box. Was told by COCO to go for a holiday instead he made it clear he wants to go to Venezuela. He is Argentina’s top-scorer in World Cup Qualifying matches in history and he deserves to win a title with the Albiceleste.

Name : Rodrigo Sebastián PALACIO Club : Boca JuniorsCaps : 4 (0)The Jewell is one of Boca Juniors’ hottest properties. Born in the land of COCO and Manu GINOBILI (Bahia Blanca), Rodrigo had a quiet season but his pace and ball control will make him a great addition to Argentina’s fire-power. An experience at a World Cup will surely help him when it comes to deal with the pressures of having to perform in limited time.

How many teams in the world have a similar fire power these days?

It looks like MESSI-CRESPO will be the starting line-up but who would you most like to see breaking into the team?

Who'll be Argentina's top goalscorer in Venezuela 2007?

Do you feel there is anybody that should be in the list and was ignored?

Big thumbs-up to John! It would have been impossible to have the profiles and the pics ready in time for the start of the Copa America!

7 comments:

As an opposing coach I would be losing alot of sleep thinking about how to keep this bunch from wrecking my COPA dreams. Height, speed, heart and all of them are big time finishers. It will be great fun watching them attack !

I agree with Allan: it would be nice to have Saviola as an option, if only because he works so well with Crespo. But what I really want (besides for Argentina to win every game and for Messi and Riquelme to have brilliant tournaments, of course) is for Diego Milito to have a look in. He's really rather brilliant.

Saviola is really unfortunate for missing out on this tournament. He has none but Rjikaard and the Barca management to blame for his lack of playing time and the consequent omission from the national squad. Even when Eto'o was injured, Rjikaard preferred the misfiring Gudjohnsen over Saviola, who utilised every little opportunity he got to score goals and work hard for the team.

It was a real sight to see the Nou Camp crowd applaud Saviola every time he came on. Sadly, what worked with Curbishley did not work with Rjikaard. I just wish the liitle rabbit goes to a club where he can start regularly.

I also wish that Messi can combine with Crespo as well as Saviola did. Was it John who pointed out earlier that Argentina had never lost a game that Crespo and Saviola had started together.